Biggles Goes Home/plot
Biggles and co. are sent to rescue a Mr Poo Tah Ling from the jungles of Garwhal in northern India. Mr Poo, a wealthy Chinese merchant whom the British government regarded as a loyal and reliable friend, had escaped from Tibet and descended the Himalayan foothills with communist Chinese troops on his trail. For Biggles, the mission would be like going home. Garwhal was where he was born but despite knowing the local languages and geography, the mission proves to be no easy task. For one thing, Poo's position was not precisely known. All that was certain was that he was staying with an English prospector, Captain John Toxan, whose camp was in a nullah (ravine) near the Lake Timbi Tso at an altitude of 8,000 ft. Biggles and co. take their Gadfly amphibian to Lake Timbi Tso and proceed to mount a series of fruitless air searches for Toxan's camp. However, a few days into the mission, Biggles has a stroke of luck when he meets and befriends two Gond hunters Mata Dhinn and Bira Shah by the shore of the Timbi Tso. They tell him a fellow villager Ram Shan might know where Toxan's camp is but now Ram would not leave the village because it is being terrorized by a tiger. They also add the ominous news that Chinese troops had been seen in the jungle. Biggles and Bertie have no choice but to turn tiger hunters which they do successfully. The tiger being disposed of, Ram, suitably grateful, agrees to take Biggles and Bertie to Toxan's camp and they make plans to depart in the morning. In the meantime, Biggles sends Mata Dhinn with the news back to Algy and Ginger encamped by the lake. Since Mata Dhinn now says he knows Toxan's camp is in the Nullah Tangla and that he is familiar with the place, Algy decides to take the Gadfly up to the nullah for a look. Approaching the nullah, Ginger spots signs of fire and dead bodies and decides to parachute down to investigate. Once on the ground, he meets Hamid Khan, one of Toxan's Gurkha assistants. He takes Ginger to the wounded Toxan who explained that Chinese soldiers had attacked his camp. One of his Gurkhas had been killed. He himself had been wounded. Poo and his Tibetan servant had managed to escape and was hiding in some scrub in the nullah but now the Chinese soldiers were attempting to burn him out. Leaving Hamid Khan to guard Toxan, Ginger borrows a rifle and goes to help Poo. By sniping at the Chinese soldiers, he manages to create enough of a diversion so that Poo and his Tibetan servant could escape from the burning scrub without being noticed. Ginger directed them to run in the direction of Hamid Khan and Toxan. He planned to follow but before he can, he collapses from a bout of fever. Biggles and Bertie soon arrive and are met by Hamid Khan. Biggles finds Ginger and revives him with some atebrin but when they compare notes, they are disappointed to learn that no one knows what has become of Mr Poo. Sent ahead to scout, Hamid Khan reports that Poo has been recaptured by the Chinese troops, who, not being in a hurry, had evidently decided to set up camp in the nullah. All is not lost. Hamid is a Gurkha after all. He crawls stealthily into the Chinese camp by night to free Mr Poo. The party being complete, they set off in the direction of the lake where Algy is waiting with the Gadfly. There is one last setback. Approaching the lake, they discover that a group of Chinese soldiers have taken over Algy's camp. Algy is still there with the Gadfly. The soldiers leave Algy alone but obviously he cannot move off to fetch them, nor can Biggles' party approach the Gadfly. Biggles decides to settle the matter with boldness and guile. Leaving the others at one side of the lake, he strolls nonchalantly in among the Chinese soldiers. He distracts them by offering them food and while they are engrossed with their presents, he and Algy steal aboard the Gadlfy, start it up and taxy to the other side of the lake and pick Bertie, Ginger, Toxan and Poo up. Toxan is evacuated to a hospital in Delhi while Poo is taken to London, ending a mission which, as Biggles tells his chief, has been "no trouble at all." Category:Plot summaries